Infatuated with the Devil
by titania eli
Summary: They weren't supposed to be something other than opponents of rival schools. They weren't supposed to meet outside a basketball court. But they did. Fate is, after all, inevitable. Their irreversible meeting led to an unconventional relationship.
1. Chapter 1

**Infatuated with the Devil**

"_Aomine-kun, you idiot, where are you? You better come back to school for practice right now!"_

Aomine grimaced as Satsuki's voice screamed shrilly over the line. Knowing that he will get it from her later, but not really caring, he disconnected the phone line. He breathed a small sigh of relief as he threw his phone into his bag. He woke up this morning feeling sick and in an irritable mood. Going for practice doesn't seem to be a good idea while he's in a bad mood.

He slowed down slightly when he felt a wave of dizziness washed over him. Biting his bottom lip in annoyance, he sucked hard on the straw, soothing his sore throat with the gassy, cold drink in his hand. Being sick was a bitch, he thought viciously as he crushed the empty can and tossed it away.

He looked up in boredom, watching the passing vehicles on the streets. The slight breeze teased his short hair gently, cooling his warm skin. Aomine blinked slowly as his attention was drawn towards a small figure in pink. On the road.

"What the hell?" All tranquillity broken, he straightened immediately, eyes wide with shock. He saw the speeding car racing towards the oblivious young girl, headlights flashing menacingly.

He swore loudly and reacted instantly, not really thinking of the consequences. He dropped his bag and leaped over the guardrail, using one hand as support. He dropped down beside the girl, wrapping his arms around her tiny waist. The girl squeaked in surprise, small, delicate hands reaching for the black and white toy cat lying on the gravel. Aomine knew, that with his phenomenal speed, he could have gotten both the girl and himself safely away. However, the desperate tears in the girl's eyes as she wailed for her 'kitty' made him hesitated. He glanced at the tattered toy and sighed in exasperation, thinking that he must have really gone mad as he snatched the toy up from the ground.

His prodigious mind had already calculated the amount of time taken as he bended down to grab the toy and passed it to the girl.

As he pushed the girl's head against his chest, he threw himself to the side as the car went careening passed him. He instinctively crushed the girl against his body as he felt the car slammed right into the side of his leg. Something cracked ominously. He cried out in pain as he hit the ground, still holding the girl firmly in his arms.

For a split moment, everything was silent. Complete, utter silence. Time paused.

Then as time started up again, the pain came. Aomine gasped as his vision blurred with pained tears. His grip on the girl loosened as his body curled up slightly, as if to protect himself from harm. He didn't even hear the girl shrieking and howling with fear, grasping his arm tightly. He was deaf to everything around him.

_My leg_, he thought deliriously. He blindly reached for his right leg. He couldn't feel his leg at all.

He forced his eyes to remain open. His dark eyes were dull and blank, staring unblinkingly at the sky above him. _I should have gone to practice today_, he thought inwardly.

_Then who would save that girl? _A voice that sounded suspiciously like Kuroko whispered in his mind.

_Shit_, Aomine thought. He's starting to hear voices of people that were not there.

Suddenly, flaming red interrupted his vision of sky blue. He barely registered the pair of red orbs floating above him.

_So red_. He frowned as his vision started to blacken at the edges. _Red. Like... blood._

Aomine stopped thinking.

* * *

><p>He woke up to the incessant crying of Satsuki. He blinked wearily and looked down at the messy pink hair on his chest.<p>

"Stop crying, Satsuki." He murmured tiredly, trying to feel his fingers under the girl's weight. "I'm not dead yet."

That one second he wasted on retrieving the toy nearly killed him though. He was surprised that he was even alive.

Satsuki's head snapped up at the sound of his voice. He grimaced as a fresh wave of tears appeared at the rim of her lower lids. "Aomine-kun, you're awake!"

"Obviously." He muttered, rolling his eyes. "Your shrieking could wake the dead."

He winced as Satsuki's face turned pale. Sometimes he could really be so tactless. Satsuki wiped at her eyes and jumped onto him, smashing her chest into his face. He choked in surprise, arms flailing wildly as the girl clung onto him, sobbing with relief.

Other men would kill to be in his position, and he would gladly give it to them. He preferred his life, thank you very much.

"Enough, Satsuki." A familiar, annoyingly silky voice that Aomine faintly recognized as his captain called out in amusement. "You're going to suffocate our ace if you don't let go."

Satsuki pouted childishly, but obediently let go of Aomine. She gazed at him in concern as he coughed and spluttered, trying to regain his breath.

"What happened?" he asked confusedly, looking up to see his teammates gathered around him.

A more cynical part in his mind was surprised to see that they even bothered to visit him. After all, there were no love lost between the team and him. He knows that they hated him.

"You skipped practice and got yourself nearly ran over by a car, you idiot!" Wakamatsu yelled, and was that _concern_ Aomine heard in his voice? "Are you trying to kill yourself?"

"Wakamatsu is right. If you want to kill yourself, do so after the Winter Cup." Imayoshi said quietly, a dangerous gleam in his dark eyes.

To Aomine's surprise, even Sakurai spoke up. "Y-Yes. We were very worried when we got the call from your mother, Aomine-san. I'm glad to see that you're alright now."

"Who's being worried, you dumbass?" Wakamatsu shouted. Sakurai flushed and started apologizing profusely. Aomine watched them with bemusement. He was surprised to hear the hint of worry and anger in his teammates' voices. Sure, he might have become _a little _nicer by turning up for practices more frequently after the match with Kise, but that shouldn't have changed things that much between the team and himself.

"You injured your leg, Aomine-kun. Fortunately, you didn't broke it, merely fractured your fibula bone." Satsuki said loudly over the frantic apologies of Sakurai and angry denials from Wakamatsu.

She do not know if it's pure luck or not, but apparently Aomine had loosened his muscles at the last minute of the collision, allowing his entire leg to absorb the impact. If he hadn't, his fibula bone wouldn't only be a mere fracture. Aomine was truly a monster, she thought apprehensively.

"When can I be released?" Aomine asked bluntly, glaring around him. _White walls, white sheets, white bed, why the hell is everything white?_

"At least a week." Satsuki sighed. Then she rested her hands on her hips, bending slightly to glare at him. "And _when _are you going to tell me you are sick, Aomine-kun?"

Aomine paled slightly. He could see his team leaving the room silently from the corner of his eyes, leaving him to the wrath of their manager. _Traitors, _he thought furiously.

"What do you mean?" he asked, playing dumb. Satsuki's glare merely intensified.

She straightened, eyes flashing angrily and started to speak slowly, as if talking to a small child. "Not only were you suffering from a fractured bone, you were having a high fever when you were admitted into the hospital, Aomine-kun. Were you trying to ignore your fever and not tell me?"

"N-No, I really didn't know!" he winced. He sounded pathetic, but really, you can't blame him. Satsuki could be really scary when she's angry.

A flash of flaming red caught his attention. He blinked when he noticed the figure slumped in the armchair beside the door.

"Who's that?" he frowned, quick to distract Satsuki. The head of flaming, glaringly bright red hair was strangely familiar, but Aomine suddenly couldn't remember where he had seen it before.

"That's Kagami-kun." Satsuki answered, effectively distracted. "He was the one who brought you to the hospital."

"Kagami Taiga... of Seirin?" Aomine asked slowly, looking as if he had just swallowed something disgustingly bitter.

"Yes. He _carried _you here, Aomine-kun. You should thank him when he wakes up." Satsuki smiled sweetly, ignoring his horrified expression.

"_What_?" he blurted out loudly. _Carried? _He flushed slightly at the mere thought of Seirin High's ace carrying him like a helpless damsel in distress. _This is humiliating_, he thought angrily.

"Seems like Kagami-kun is waking up." Satsuki pointed out. True enough, the redhead was stirring, probably because of Aomine's outburst. "Well, then I'll leave the two of you alone. Be sure to thank him, Aomine-kun!"

She winked at him playfully before leaving. He reached out, attempting to grab her sleeve to stop her, but she was too fast for him. The door slammed behind her before he could say anything.

"Fuck." He swore. He looked towards the redhead. Kagami yawned, rubbing his eyes sleepily as he sat up slowly.

_How long has he been waiting there? _Aomine shifted slightly in a more comfortable position. He felt really vulnerable being alone with an opponent from a rival school, completely defenceless.

"Eh?" Kagami yawned, looking around the room. "Where's everyone?"

Aomine said dryly, "They left."

Kagami jumped when he heard his voice. Aomine almost smiled at the comical expression on the redhead's face.

Kagami stared at him as if he had just seen a ghost. Aomine twitched in irritation, a tad confused at the strange look on the redhead's face. He was staring at him as if they've never met before.

"Aomine," Kagami cleared his throat, cheeks dusted a pale pink. "I see you're finally awake. How is your leg?"

"As if a car just nearly broke it." Aomine said sarcastically, unable to hide his annoyance. To his irritation, Kagami brushed his snappish tone aside and laughed sheepishly.

Aomine froze as the redhead approached him and pressed the back of his hand on his forehead. He grinned, "Well, it seems your fever has broken."

"I saw what you did." Kagami suddenly smiled mischievously. Aomine narrowed his eyes dangerously at him. He suddenly wished he wasn't so helpless and weak. He gritted his teeth angrily, resisting the urge to lash out as Kagami leaned forward. The sudden close proximity sent goosebumps rising on his skin.

"And so what if you did?" he asked quietly, a hiss audible in his tightly controlled voice.

Kagami shrugged and straightened up, grinning like a fool. Aomine felt like punching the smile off his stupid face.

"Nothing." Kagami shrugged. "Just a little surprised."

He scowled, "I'm not that heartless."

Kagami blinked and raised his hands defensively. "I'm not saying you are. I'm just really surprised that's all."

"Tch." He frowned, looking away from the penetrating red eyes. "Don't you have anything better to do? If you have nothing more to say, get out."

"Is this really what you should be saying to your saviour?" Kagami leered, arching a brow at him.

Aomine growled, hands curling into fists under the sheets. "Fine, thank you. Can you leave now?"

The redhead shook his head in exasperation, exhaling loudly. "You are really an unpleasant person, Aomine."

He picked up his bag, frowning as he turned around. Just when Aomine thought that he's finally rid of the nuisance, the redhead paused by the doorway.

"You own me this by the way, Aomine." Kagami smirked wickedly. "You are in my debt. I will come back and collect it one day."

"Bastard!" Aomine yelled furiously, flinging a pillow at him. Kagami laughed and slammed the door behind him, narrowly avoiding the pillow.

_What a bastard_, he thought in disbelief and anger. Of everyone he could possibly owned his life to, why was it that idiot Kagami?

He growled angrily under his breath, cursing his stupidity and the idiocy of the young girl he had saved. If she hadn't been standing in the middle of the damned road, he wouldn't have hurt his leg and Kagami wouldn't have the opportunity to bring him to the hospital and forced him into a debt.

_Damn that Kagami_, he thought savagely, digging his nails into the sheets so hard that it started to tear. _I'll get you for this._

* * *

><p><em>I don't really know much about broken bones, so pardon me if there's any medical mistakes.<em>


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapter two is done. Spot the slash if you can. Anyway, chapter 3 will probably be the last chapter. I might, _might_ do a series of ficlets if I'm in the mood. And if you don't like Aomine/Kagami, why are you still here then?_

* * *

><p>One week in the hospital was starting to get really boring. Aomine never thought he would miss school and basketball practices this much. Even when he was skipping practices, there was at least a basketball with him. He hadn't touched a ball for <em>seven days. <em>This was sheer agony for him.

That was why, when he could finally walked, he immediately appealed for a check out. Luckily his mother also agreed to his decision, believing that she could take better care of him if he's at home instead of at the hospital. The hospital granted his request and the next day, he was packing up to go home. He didn't bother to tell anyone, not even Satsuki. Knowing her, she would probably fuss.

He stuffed his clothes into his duffel bag, glancing out of the window. It was a beautiful weather today. It really sucked to be stuck inside when the weather was so good outside.

"Eh? You're already checking out?" Aomine jumped slightly in surprise when the door slid opened and a familiar voice wafted from the doorway.

"What are you doing here, Kagami Taiga." He snapped in irritation. Kagami's presence was like an extremely annoying fly buzzing nosily around him, refusing to leave no matter how many times he swatted at it.

"Collecting my debt." Kagami answered. Aomine turned around and scowled at him. _How could this bastard said that in such a carefree tone?_

Kagami's smirk widened at the angry look on the dark-skinned boy. He stepped forward, and with deliberate slowness, reached out and snatched up the duffel bag.

"Come on. I'll carry you on my back. Let's go." He smiled brightly. The murderous look directed at him was rewarding enough.

"I'm not following you anywhere." Aomine snapped. "I have never owned you anything. I have never asked you to bring me to the hospital. Now go away and give me back my bag."

"Oh, Satsuki-san never told you?" Kagami asked airily. Aomine was starting to dislike his flippant attitude. It was pissing him off. "During the accident, beside from fracturing your fibula bone, there was an internal bleeding inside your leg. If I had waited for an ambulance to arrive instead of bringing you here immediately, there is a possibility you might never be able to play basketball again, _genius_."

Aomine froze, his dark skin going a shade paler. Despite the lack of good players around him and the constant boredom of not finding anyone to match up to his standards, a tiny part of him still loved playing basketball. If he can never play basketball again, what kind of world would that be?

"You owned me your life. If it wasn't for _me_, you would _never _be able to touch a ball anymore." Kagami whispered against his ear. He flinched away from the redhead, subconsciously clenching his fists. He might be a bastard at times, but he hated owning favours to people even more.

"Fine." He groused. "Where the fuck are we going?"

Kagami blinked in surprise at him. He had not expected Aomine to agree so quickly. _Does he actually still love basketball after all? Could Kuroko be wrong?_

"Hm. Get on my back." He grinned, gesturing to his back.

Aomine scowled at him. "I can walk fine on my own!"

He pushed him away, and stubbornly made his way to the door, trying to hide his limp. Kagami followed him silently, his muscles tight with tension. When Aomine collapsed, he was already moving to catch the blue-haired boy.

"Stop acting tough, Aomine." Kagami grinned, with a touch of irritation. "Or do you want me to carry you like a girl? I'm not going to face your team when they find out I let you walk the entire way with an injured leg."

Aomine growled, but didn't pull away. His cheeks heated up very slightly when he slid his arms around the redhead's neck. He rested his entire weight on Kagami as the latter lifted him up. Even though he was clearly heavier, Kagami didn't even seem to feel the weight.

Kagami grinned when he felt the arms tightening around him as they left the hospital. The both of them were obviously attracting stares, seeing as both of them were equally good-looking. He could feel the embarrassment pouring off the blue-haired ace of Touou as he walked down the streets. It was quite endearing actually.

_This... is humiliating_, Aomine inwardly moaned. The longer they are out in the open, the more paranoid he becomes. He sees his teammates in every person that passed by, every shouts of laughter from a group reminded him of his former teammates back in middle school, every girlish giggling making him winced as Satsuki's face came to his mind.

"Where are we going?" he asked again, tightening his hold on the redhead's neck.

Kagami stumbled slightly, choking. "Stop trying to strangle me! We're here."

"Street basketball?" Aomine arched a finely elegant brow as the redhead placed him down gently on a bench. He could see many various courts set up and dozens of players competing behind fences, basketball fanatics meandering around him, chattering nosily.

"Street basketball competition." Kagami beamed. "I've been practicing nonstop this week and my team's coach kicked me out of the gym and ordered me to rest for a day. So I figured, since I'm free, and there's no one else accompanying me... you should accompany me for a day!"

"Doesn't Tetsu usually accompany you on things like this?" he asked sardonically. He felt a small pang in his chest at the mention of Kuroko. He willed the ache in his chest away angrily.

"Usually." Kagami agreed. "But he's busy perfecting a new technique. So you will accompany me for the entire day today! Without any complaints!"

He was distracted as a large crowd nearby suddenly exploded into cheers and applauses. He squinted his eyes before grinning excitedly, baring his teeth. Aomine nearly toppled off the bench as he was lifted up.

"Looks like there's a match going on over there! Let's go!" Kagami crowed enthusiastically, dashing over to the court where the match was being held.

Aomine sighed quietly, resigned to being forced along to watch the match.

* * *

><p>Originally, Kagami's goal was to humiliate and embarrass Aomine Daiki for the defeat at the Interhigh. He still could not forget how the Touou's ace had looked down on them during the match which ended with Seirin's crushing defeat. He was, however, pleasantly surprised to find himself enjoying Aomine's company. The blue-haired athlete might have been quite derisive and biting during their conversations, but Kagami could say that he had never met anyone more bluntly honest and straightforward than Aomine. Others might be offended with Aomine's frank nature and pinned him as rude instead, but Kagami appreciated his honesty, even though he was one of the few people that hated Aomine because of his initial frankness.<p>

Perhaps, Kagami mused silently, in a skewed point of view, Aomine really thinks himself as the strongest. Therefore, he being honest about no one being able to beat him was true.

Aomine was really an enigma, he thought in bemusement. In fact, every single one of the Generation of Miracles was strange and hard to figure out. A prime example would be Kuroko himself.

"Hey, wait here." He grinned, standing up abruptly. Aomine watched him dashed off in confusion, leaving him sitting alone on the bench.

Huffing in aggravation, he turned his attention above him. He didn't want to admit it, but Kagami didn't turned out to be as irritating as he expected. In fact, he seemed to possess an extremely irritating ability to make him smile instead.

_Tch, what the hell am I thinking? _He hit the side of his head harshly. Really, he's still too soft.

He scowled up at the flying birds, their quiet chirrups the only sounds of life in the area. His dark eyes reflected the deep red and bluish-purple hue in the sky, deep and contemplating. This was the scene Kagami came back to.

He stopped and stared at the slender and lean figure outlined against the setting sun. Short, dark hair shifting slightly in the wind, the deep blues in the dark hair highlighted by the rays of light. The only word Kagami could think of was beautiful.

When he realized what he had just thought about _Aomine_, he shook his head violently, choking on his spit in surprise. The spell seemed to break as the head of dark hair swivelled to look at him.

"Where the hell did you go?" Aomine asked.

Kagami grinned widely and approached him, handing him one of the ice lollies in his hands. When Aomine stared at him sceptically, he shoved the ice lolly insistently towards him.

"When I was a kid, my parents and I," Kagami explained, plopping down beside him. "Used to watch the sunset together, eating ice lollies we brought at a convenience shop near our house."

Aomine snorted and rolled his eyes. However, he didn't say anything, merely shoved the ice lolly into his mouth. He turned his gaze away from the redhead, fixing his attention back to the sky. The two descended into a comfortable silence as the sun slowly vanished among the horizons and the sky began to grow dark.

* * *

><p>As the last ray of light disappeared from the sky, Kagami realized that they were completely alone, except for the occasional couples taking a walk.<p>

"It's getting late." He muttered, glancing at his watch. "Come on. Where do you live?"

Aomine gave him a sceptical look as he bended down in front of him.

"It's my responsibility to get you home safely. What would happen if you get robbed or something on your way home?" Kagami asked, smiling cheekily. Aomine snorted in disbelief, but nonetheless got onto the redhead's back. At least, there wasn't anyone around who will gawk at them now.

Fortunately, Aomine lived quite near to where the street basketball competition was held. And compared to the weights Kagami had to lift every day, Aomine was almost like a feather.

The journey to Aomine's house was silent the entire way. Aomine didn't like talking when he's being carried by another guy, while Kagami could feel the hostile intent radiating off the boy on his back. He's not going to test the waters, especially when the waters were one that could drown him anytime if he said something wrong.

"My house is just right in front." Aomine suddenly said. "It's the one with the red roof."

Kagami's eyes widened in admiration as the house slowly came to view. It was a typical traditional house, situated far away from the modern skyscrapers and buildings. The house was big enough to tell him that the Aomine family wasn't very poor, but small enough to give the impression of a middle class family.

The roof tiles were painted a brilliant crimson red, the walls a lighter shade of peach, and the house was surrounded by small shrubs of pale green leaves. There was a very peaceful atmosphere around the old, but well-kept house.

"Whoa, your house is gorgeous." He commented as he walked up to the front gate. He faintly heard Aomine grumbled under his breath.

The gate opened before Kagami could say anything else. A very pretty, middle-aged woman greeted him with a confused smile. When she saw Aomine though, her expression lit up.

"Daiki!" she exclaimed happily. "Come in, come in."

She gestured enthusiastically for Kagami to enter. He followed her silently into the house. The corridors were dimly lit in yellow-papered lanterns that casted shadows on the walls. Aomine slid off his back to settle down on the floor as they entered a room.

"Thank you for bringing my Daiki home." The woman smiled gratefully as she sat down opposite the redhead. "Are you Daiki's friend? You don't seem to be in the same school?"

She glanced at the basketball uniform sticking out of Kagami's bag.

"Er, erm... we're not exactly friends..." he stammered, glancing at the Touou's ace desperately.

Thankfully, Aomine took over the conversation, saving the redhead from his mother. "We are just acquaintances. I met him through a basketball match. He was visiting the hospital and was kind enough to bring me home when he saw me."

"Oh, how kind of you!" Aomine's mother beamed. "Would you like to stay for tea?"

Kagami blushed slightly, scratching the back of his head embarrassedly. "Er, no. it's alright."

It seemed that Aomine had inherited his naturally dark skin and dark blue eyes from his mother. _And obviously, her good looks_, Kagami privately added in his mind.

She was quite tall for a woman, softly curvaceous and sported long, wavy dark hair and laugh lines that decorated her milk chocolate complexion. Kagami wouldn't be surprised if someone told him that she had attracted many suitors when she was a young girl.

She also has a very nice smile, Kagami thought. _So unlike her son. _He suppressed a snicker as he glanced at Aomine surreptitiously.

"Its nice meeting you, Aomine-san, but I have to go. It's getting late." He smiled charmingly at the older woman.

"Call me Ayano." She said instantly, almost like a mantra. As if she had been saying that to every person that called her 'Aomine-san'. "Aomine-san is my husband."

"Er, okay, Ayano-san." He corrected quickly.

She smiled warmly at him. She stood up, smoothing down the front of her skirt. "Then I'll leave you two. Come visit whenever you like, erm...?"

"Kagami Taiga." He said hastily.

Ayano nodded, smile a tad wider. "Taiga-san, visit whenever you like. We rarely have friends of Daiki coming over."

She bowed graciously before leaving the room, leaving the shoji door opened slightly.

"Don't you dare think anything funny about my mother, you damn lecher." Aomine growled quietly.

Kagami spluttered in shock, pale cheeks darkening to a deep red. He glared at the Touou's ace, affronted by his accusation.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded in embarrassment. "I'm not thinking what _you _are thinking, you crazy bastard!"

"If you have no more bullshit to sprout, then leave." Aomine said coldly. He stood up with slight difficulty, glaring when Kagami's hands hovered near him.

"Alright, alright, is this how you normally treat a guest?" Kagami complained, grabbing his bag as he was shoved out of the room.

"No," Aomine deadpanned. "You are an exception."

He unlocked the front gate, using the pillar as support and leaned against it heavily. Kagami sighed and slipped out quietly. His red eyes looked particularly bright as he glanced back at Aomine.

"So I guess the next time we meet is at the Winter Cup?" he grinned impishly.

Aomine scoffed, "If Seirin can even get that far."

"Oh, we will. You just watch, Aomine." Kagami said fervently, eyes determined. "We will beat Touou and Shuutoku and every Generation of Miracles that stand in our way and win the Winter Cup! Seirin will become number one!"

"Hmph." Aomine said in distaste. "Don't be too arrogant, Kagami."

Kagami flashed an easy smirk at him. He slung his bag over his shoulder and held up a hand in a farewell wave.

"See you next time on the court, Aomine." He laughed.

Before he could leave though, Aomine reached out and grabbed the edge of his sleeve, pulling him back. Kagami turned around to see blazing blue eyes boring into him.

"If you tell anyone what happened today..." Aomine warned softly.

Kagami laughed in surprise. He leaned forward almost threateningly, a smile gracing his lips. "Why, are you that ashamed for people to know you're hanging out with me?"

"I don't want people to know that I owned _you _anything." Aomine hissed. "If people know that I'm being chummy with _you _of all people, my reputation will be gone."

"Your reputation wasn't that good to begin with." Kagami muttered, rolling his eyes.

Aomine snarled at him. Kagami blinked when he finally realized how close they were. He could nearly feel Aomine's hot breath against his cheek. _Just an inch more_, he thought dazedly. He never realized how soft Aomine's lips looked.

"Tell you what, Aomine," Kagami suddenly smirked. "If I don't tell anyone about your hospitalization and our outing today, you own me another favour."

"What? _No_!" Aomine grimaced. If he was forced to hang out with Kagami _again_, he might kill himself. _And _Kagami, he thought aggressively.

"Well, then I think Kuroko will be very interested to know who I went with to today's competition." Kagami sighed loudly. "Oh yeah, Kise seems to be visiting us tomorrow too."

"Don't you dare tell anyone! Especially those two!" Aomine said forcefully.

Kagami smiled playfully at him. "Why not? I thought that you get along best with those two in middle school? I'm sure they'll be very worried if they find out that you got into a car accident."

Aomine flinched, clamping his jaw shut tightly, wordless with anger. Kagami frowned at him in concern. Perhaps he has gone too far?

"Fine." He finally spoke. His voice was quivering slightly and he was pointedly avoiding meeting Kagami's eyes. "If you don't tell anyone, I'll do anything. As long as I find it acceptable."

He suddenly raised his gaze, eyes flashing dangerously. Kagami was suddenly struck dumb by the anger on Aomine's face. There was something feral, yet beautiful in his expression.

"Now get lost!" Aomine lashed out, shoving him away. The gate slammed shut with a deafening screech. Kagami could faintly make out Aomine's silhouette disappearing in the dark as his ears rang painfully. Frowning slightly, he quietly left the house's vicinity.

* * *

><p><em>How <em>dare _he? How dare that bastard bring up the relationship between me and Kise and Tetsu? That bastard, I'll kill him! I'll _kill _him!_

Aomine clenched his eyes shut as he entered his room. He dropped down heavily onto his bed and screamed furiously into his pillow. His previous relationship with Kuroko and Kise has always been a sore spot.

He was still too soft, just like what Imayoshi had said. His captain didn't exactly say that to his face, but his team was kind of oblivious to his presence sometimes. They were so used to him not coming to trainings that they didn't really notice it when he _actually _came.

He did learn some things from Kuroko in the past three years.

Thinking about Kuroko only managed to rile him up. Growling, he sat up, mindful of his leg. He looked over when his phone rang. He groaned when he opened up the text from Satsuki.

'_Aomine Daiki, why didn't you tell me that you're discharging today? I'm coming over to your house right now!'_

He really does not need this right now. He quickly typed out a reply to Satsuki for her _not to bother him because he's really tired right now and could she please not disturb him and he's really sorry for not informing her? _Not bothering to wait for her answer, he shut off his phone and collapsed into bed, forcing himself to sleep. He needs all the rest he could get so he could heal faster.

The Winter Cup was approaching and he had no time to waste lazing about.

* * *

><p><em>While writing chapter 2, I realized that Kagami might be a little too OOC. I think I got too carried away while writing. :p<em>


	3. Chapter 3

_And the last chapter is here! People, please review! I wanna know your opinions!_

* * *

><p><strong>Winter Cup Finals – Seirin vs. Rakuzan <strong>

Aomine shook his head as the entire stadium exploded with cheers. Ever since Touou lost against Seirin in the second match, he knew that sooner or later, Seirin would win against his former captain's team. There was so much potential in both Kagami and Kuroko, and they had improved tremendously since their last match with Touou.

He felt his gaze straying towards a certain red-haired basketball player. The happiness on Kagami's face was contagious. Reluctantly, he felt a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. When Kagami was happy, his _entire _body seemed to radiate his happiness. His red eyes seemed to gleam and shine from his delight. His red hair, damp with sweat, stuck against his forehead, and his cheeks were flushed with pride and euphoria. Kagami was exuding such genuine joy that it hurts. Aomine don't remember being that happy before.

He absently chewed on the inside of his cheek, shoving his hands into his pockets. As the cheering started to die down and the congratulations were paused to make way for the award ceremony, he turned around to leave.

"You're not going to stay and see him, Aominecchi?" He was forced to stop as a familiar blonde blocked his way.

"No." he answered grudgingly, seeing as the blonde utterly refused to step out of the way. "It isn't necessary."

He sidestepped Kise easily, swerving to the side as the blonde tried to tackle him. Kise pouted as Aomine effortlessly avoided him. The Touou's ace was as annoyingly evasive as ever. Like a slippery snake, Kise thought, an insult – a compliment, _really _– Kagami had given him after their second match. The rematch between the two schools was one of the best and most exciting to watch in the tournament. Both Power Forwards definitely had improved by leaps and bounds since the first match. Both were unrelenting and fierce in their assaults and defences. Both were unwilling to give in. It was probably Aomine and Kagami's toughest match in the Winter Cup. During the entire match, Kise was on the edge of his seat, too tense and excited to sit still. The rematch between Seirin and Touou was definitely a spectacular match. In the end, Seirin won by a point difference. Despite the unexpected loss on Touou's side, everyone left the stadium amazed.

"Huh, what are you talking about? Why would it be unnecessary?" Kise asked curiously. "I am so sure that Kagamicchi would be happy if he sees you!"

"Stop talking nonsense, Kise." Aomine said blankly. "Why would he be happy seeing me?"

Kise barely managed to stop himself from rolling his eyes. Sometimes, Aomine was really dense.

"But I thought he like–" Kise yelped as a fist smashed against the back of his head, cutting him off.

Midorima ignored the blonde's whining as he turned to address him. "Aomine, I thought you weren't going to come."

"It's a match between Captain Akashi and Seirin. I wouldn't miss it for the world." Aomine said.

Midorima nodded slowly in agreement. The trio glanced over at their former captain's incredulous expression. The redhead was frozen stiff with shock, unresponsive to his team.

"This must really be a shocker for him." Kise murmured. In all the years he had known Akashi Seijuro, he had never once seen his former captain lost before. Seirin, the entire team, were evolving so fast that even the Generation of Miracles found some difficulties catching up.

"I have to go." Aomine suddenly said, staring at the screen of his phone. "Satsuki and the others are looking for me."

His dark eyes flickered over to the both of them, half-lidded and mysterious. Those eyes of Aomine never failed to give Midorima the impression that they're judging his worth. It was a little disconcerting whenever Aomine stared at him that way.

"I'll see you guys again. Maybe." Aomine said monotonously and he sounded so much like Kuroko that Kise could not help but winced.

He turned away, and the pair watched him left to where the Touou team was waiting.

Another thing that had changed other than the reconciliation of their relationship was the relationship of Aomine and his own basketball team. In the rematch between Seirin and Touou, the one reason Seirin was having such a terribly hard time was because Aomine was actually working _together _with his teammates. The combined teamwork of Touou and their own individual skills increased their strength immensely. Kise was actually a tad surprised to see how efficient Touou became when Aomine was willingly working with them. It was a very big change when you compared to the past where Touou was only depending on Aomine.

In fact, Kise mused, the change only happened when Kagami seemed to mysteriously become friends with Aomine. He had a sneaking suspicion that Kagami had something to do with that. No one dared to ask Aomine what happened though, and Kagami seemed to be threatened by Aomine to not tell anyone under 'the pain of death', as said by Aomine himself.

The two Power Forwards might seem different as day and night at first glance, but they were more alike than they think.

* * *

><p>Aomine exhaled slowly, quietly enjoying the night breeze<em>. It's such a good night<em>, he thought absently. He decided to take a short walk around the park before heading home. He glanced up and stopped in his tracks in slight surprise upon seeing the figure in front of him. The red hair was so glaringly bright and vivid even in the darkness.

"Kagami?" he murmured in confusion. _Shouldn't he be celebrating with his team right now?_

Kagami's head jerked up, dark eyes instantly seeking him out. A grin appeared on his face and he pushed away from the streetlight he was leaning against.

"Hey, Aomine! I was waiting for you. I knew you would walk through this path." He smiled, jogging up towards Aomine.

"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be celebrating with your team right now?" Aomine asked, arching his brow delicately.

"Ha ha. Everyone is tired after the match, so we're going to celebrate tomorrow instead." Kagami shrugged, smiling bashfully. "Kise mentioned seeing you, so I came after you. Why did you leave without seeing me?"

"What makes you think I came to the match to see _you?_" Aomine sneered scathingly, outraged that the redhead would think that _he _would come to the match just to specially see him. "Don't get too ahead of yourself, Kagami."

"That's not what I mean. I'm just wondering why you left without seeing anyone. Kuroko was hoping to see you, you know." Kagami snapped. Aomine scoffed, looking away. Was it his imagination that he saw the look of disappointment in Kagami's eyes?

"Because I don't feel like seeing anyone." He answered smoothly. He gave Kagami an annoyed glare and stepped around him.

"Hey, wait!" Kagami called out, pivoting on his heels quickly, a hand reaching out towards him. He grabbed the hem of Aomine's sleeve, tugging him back. Aomine stumbled slightly, caught off guard and nearly collided right into the redhead.

"What the fuck is your problem?" Aomine growled, attempting to shove the latter away from him.

Read, _attempting._

Kagami had a vice grip on his wrist, his other hand on his hip to steady him. Aomine shuddered as Kagami exhaled softly behind him, warm breath caressing the ridge of his left ear.

"Have you forgotten the favour you still own me, Aomine?" Kagami purred. Aomine jerked away from him and hurriedly put a good distance between the both of them.

"What favour?" he asked coolly. He smirked as Kagami visibly twitched in indignation.

Kagami stalked forward, growling when he backed further away. "Stop trying to be funny! The favour you owned me when I promised you that I won't tell anyone about your hospitalization and our outing!"

_Fuck. _It had been months since the two of them went to watch the street basketball competition. He thought Kagami had already forgotten about the favour.

"And what about it?" he asked blandly, quirking an eyebrow.

Kagami smirked mischievously and stopped directly in front of him. He casted a suspicious glare at the redhead, the look in his eyes daring the Seirin's ace to try anything funny.

"Well, it's about time you return the favour, isn't it?" Kagami said slyly. "Oh, quit looking at me like that. I'm not asking you to run down the streets naked, am I? It's quite simple really..."

Aomine tensed, the look in his eyes steadily growing darker. He does not like the smirk on Kagami's face. It simply spelled ominous.

"Go out with me, Aomine." Kagami declared.

Wait, _what? _Aomine balked, speechless with shock. _Did Kagami just say what I thought he just said?_

"As _friends._" Kagami hurriedly corrected, noticing the horrified look on his face. He laughed in embarrassment, realizing what his request must have sounded like to others.

"As _friends._" Aomine echoed dryly. He shot the other boy a deadpanned stare. "Is it really that simple, _really_?"

"Is it so hard for you to imagine that someone wants to be your friend, Aomine?" Kagami asked mildly, reading his thoughts perfectly.

_Yes_, he thought scornfully, _since the people around me either hates me or are jealous of me._

"You know, Aomine, when I asked you to accompany me to watch the street basketball competition, I initially wasn't expecting much. I had my reservations about you..." Kagami continued speaking when he remained silent. "I was surprised to find myself enjoying your company, and I would like to hang out with you more often. I – I mean... if you allow, of course."

"That was surprisingly eloquent of you." Aomine mocked. The redhead stiffened and glared at him, cheeks red.

He turned away, hiding an amused smile. He ran his fingers through his short hair, silently pondering on Kagami's unexpected revelation. Kuroko's new Light was an interesting man.

"I owned you a favour, after all. If that's what you want." He finally said, half-shrugging. "Just don't expect me to pay for your food or something."

Kagami watched him walked away in surprise. After what Aomine had said finally sank in, he grinned and scampered after the latter.

"Hey, shouldn't you be treating me? You owned me, you know!" Kagami demanded. "You are such a scrooge, Aomine Daiki!"

The two slowly walked off, bickering playfully, or in Aomine's case, in contempt. Their voices faded away, leaving the park completely silent and seemingly untouched by humans. Peace reigned once again, leaving no traces of any of their presences.

* * *

><p><em>And the end.<em>


End file.
